What is Gado Gado? An Indonesian salad, that contains, vegetables, tofu or tempeh, a boiled egg, potatoes, crunchy fried onions (bawang goreng) topped off with a rich peanut sauce. Best eaten with krupuk and sambal. Because rice is not served with this salad, it is common to add protein, and a variety of cooked and raw vegetables such as cabbage, brocolli, cucumber and bean sprouts. Depending if you have it as snack or lunch or part of dinner, you can make this salad simple or elaborate. The extra ordinary flavor comes from the rich peanut sauce. I am sharing two different ways to make the sauce. The first one is the original recipe the way it is done in Indonesia with ground peanuts. Recipe by Marlôt Fliers.
When Gado Gado travelled to other parts of the world, the convenience of using peanut butter became the norm. When you grow up with Gado Gado (means mix, mix), you start craving it at different times of the day, after you travel or had a long day at work. It becomes a comfort food. It is served at every Indo party, events and celebrations. I’ve heard several times that pregnant women love to eat gado gado at any hour of the day. When I go back home, as soon as I get out of the airport, Gado Gado is served with other familiar dishes. Gado gado makes me feel at home.
The second recipe is close to what my mom used to make from a very old cookbook. It uses more spices than he ground peanut version. My suggestion is to make both and taste for yourself. Another key ingredient is Kecap Manis, a sweet soy sauce that you will find in every Indo kitchen. You can buy this at asian markets or online. I remember my mom using Wayang Kecap Manis. Because of the peanuts this dish is high in protein and besides the fiber, the vegetables are high in vitamin A, D, E and K.
It is easy to make once you already have the ingredients. The base of the salad are the vegetables, tofu or tempeh or both. Cooked potatoes and bean sprouts. For vegetables usually, cooked green beans, cabbage, cucumber and any leafy greens. Even if you don’t have all the produce, use what you have. A simple salad is wonderful when you are too tired to cook. Another addition that is used, is boiled eggs. For vegans you skip this option.
Let’s start cooking. See below the original by Marlôt Fliers.
Gado Gado sauce made with ground peanuts.
Equipment
- 1 power blender or a food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup = 75 grams ground peanuts
- 1 red chili pepper = lombok optional
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp = asam soaked in water
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp kecap mania
- 1/3 cup hot water or as needed
Instructions
- Chop the chili and garlic, then add to the ground peanuts and roast for a minute.
- Add the hot water and blend it in the food processor or blender. It is ok to be chunky. Dish this peanut blend in a small sauce pan.
- Add all the other ingredients, sugar, lime juice and kecap. When you add the tamarind, make sure there is no pit in it.
- Add the necessary water and stir until all ingredients are well mixed and cooked. Maybe for 2 minutes. The sauce should be not too think and not too watery. When you stir it should feel like mustard or yoghurt thickness.
- If you haven't done it before, steam the green beans, or cabbage and cook the potatoes. Cut a cucumber and for the bean sprouts, place it in a colander and soften it with pouring hot water over it. Make sure it is weel strained and place it on a serving dish next to all other vegetables. Add leafy greens is if you have it available. You can fry the krupuk the day before or in the morning.On a plate, arrange all the salad ingredients an pour the Gado Gado sauce over it. Now, eat up?
Notes
Gado Gado sauce made with peanut butter
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tbsp tamarind
- 1 tsp shrimp paste, terasi don't use if you are allergic to shrimps
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp lemongrass
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp kencur, also called kentjur
- 3/4 cup = 188 grams organic smooth peanut butter
- 2 tbsp kecap manis or 1 tbsp soya sauce
- 1 1/2 cup = 341 grams hot water
- salt and brown sugar to taste
Instructions
- Cut the onion and garlic into small pieces. In a small to medium pan, add the water, onion and garlic, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind and shrimp paste.
- Bring this into a boil and add all the other spices, coriander, cumin, kentjur and lemongrass.
- On medium to low heat boil for 5 minutes.
- Now add all of the peanut butter, the kecap manis and 1 tsp of brown sugar.
- Cook on very low until the sauce is smooth and is pourable but coats the back of a spoon.
- Serve over all Gado Gado vegetables.